One Missed Strike: Tales From the New Republic
by Davin Sunrider
Summary: AU oneshot collection set during and after 'One Missed Strike, Part III'. Story 2, 'Strange Ways': Boba Fett and Malysa Kolos are given new missions by Grand Admiral Thrawn to ensure victory during the last battle of the Galactic Civil War.
1. Mission to Myrkr

**Mission to Myrkr**

_Shortly before the Battle of Naboo…_

Boba Fett looked around the throne room of the Hutt crime lord Jabba, most of whom was still on his throne.

The rest of him, however…

Hutts were notoriously hard to kill; their biological systems were highly resistant to poisons, their thick, rubbery skins were virtually blaster-proof, and on top of that, nearly every Hutt in the galaxy was rich enough to afford an entourage of bodyguards and other minions that realistically amounted to little more than sentient shields.

There was little defense, however, from a thermal detonator, particularly when the explosive was _inside_ the Hutt; the assassins had managed to smuggle the device into Jabba's food, where he had consumed it without a second thought.

Now Boba Fett stood in the midst of the consequences, watching with a dispassionate eye as the various denizens of the palace broke open the food and liquor stashed around the palace and had themselves the wildest party Tatooine had ever seen. Anyone who was sorry Jabba was dead was well on their way out of here by now, and the rest of the palace's denizens were either stealing anything that wasn't nailed down or drinking and dancing themselves into a stupor.

Fett himself was mildly sorry to see Jabba go, but only because the Hutt had paid handsomely. Increasingly, Jabba had been giving Fett ridiculous amounts of credits to keep him around the palace, convinced that one of his rivals in his clan's crime syndicate was trying to kill him.

As it turned out, he was right; in fact, Fett himself had discreetly aided the assassins, since he was being paid to do so both by their mysterious employer and none other than Darth Vader himself, who had his own reasons for wanting Jabba dead.

Fett had just set his ship, the _Slave I_, to send a transmission to the Emperor confirming the crime lord's death, and was now biding his time until he received a reply.

The hunter calmly watched as the crime lord's former servants looted the throne room around him, his gloved hands casually curled around his blaster rifle. Fett had no interest in any of Jabba's treasures; he had more credits than he would ever need from a prosperous career of going after the most high-value -and therefore most challenging- targets.

This had been an easy mission, in fact as close to a vacation as Fett could allow himself. For the last six months, Fett had stayed around the vicinity of Tatooine and Jabba's palace, ostensibly on guard duty in between short missions, but in actuality, he had been taking advantage of Jabba's connections to further expand his already impressive network of informants.

Boba Fett paid very well for useful information, and so a number of Jabba's lackeys, sensing the end like mynocks deserting a leaking ship, promptly switched their… flexible allegiances. Fett's private network of informants now rivaled most intelligence services. In fact, he had a number of agents within Director Isard's own Imperial Intelligence Service; IIS agents regularly made discreet copies of their reports to send to Boba Fett. Even Darth Vader did not know just how much Fett truly knew about the way he ran the Empire; if Fett were motivated by some foolish idealistic concept of justice, he could easily have become one of the Rebel Alliance's most valuable assets.

But the cold, hard reality was that the Empire paid better and mostly kept order strictly enforced, and so Fett continued to accept their contracts. In a galaxy torn by war, there was plenty of opportunity for a purveyor of violence for profit…

An indicator inside Fett's helmet beeped twice, and tiny letters flashed across one corner of his HUD to inform him that his ship's long-range comm had received a reply from the _Executor_.

Fett left the drunken revelry behind, headed back to his ship.

* * *

When he was sealed inside the impenetrable walls of _Slave I_, Fett headed up to the cockpit to look at the transmission. He remotely keyed the message to play as he entered the cockpit, watching the small holoprojector mounted at one side of his console flare to life as he sat down.

Grand Admiral Thrawn appeared in blue-tinged miniature. "_Excellent work, Hunter Fett,_" the recording began. "_Please remain at Tatooine until the _Executor_ arrives; I wish to speak to you personally."_

Fett allowed himself a smirk beneath his helmet. He had a guess as to why the alien Grand Admiral wanted to talk to him; Fett had made a few preliminary investigations of Myrkr while he was waiting for the assassins to act, and Thrawn likely wished to discuss his findings with him.

The _Executor_ would take the better part of a day to get here; Fett went to work, keeping busy until it arrived.

* * *

As the massive Super Star Destroyer _Executor_ settled into orbit around the sandy sphere of Tatooine, accompanied by an Interdictor cruiser to keep ships both in and out of the system while the Emperor was there, Boba Fett guided his starship into the flagship's cavernous hangar bay.

He quickly made his way through the corridors of the city-sized warship to Thrawn's command room, where he found the alien commander standing near one wall, gazing at a large painting hung there.

"The Kuati are an interesting people," Thrawn said by way of greeting as Fett entered the command room. "They are, of course, genetically human, but their culture is unique. Your race has always fascinated me in that way; some human cultures are as different from one another as they are from the alien species with which they share this galaxy. Though they make up more than half the galaxy's population, humans do not share a unified culture. They cannot even agree which of their numerous worlds is the one from which their species originated."

"It doesn't really matter where humans came from," Fett said dismissively. "What matters is where they're going."

Thrawn turned to him with a slight smile. "A surprisingly profound insight, Hunter Fett." His features shifted into a more businesslike expression as he slowly moved to the center of the room, hands clasped behind his back. "The Emperor has business on the planet below," Thrawn continued. "From what I understand, this is his homeworld, and he has… sentimental reasons for initiating the takeover here."

Fett nodded gravely.

"However, you and I have business to conduct," Thrawn went on. "I wish you to acquire live specimens of the creatures whose images and genetic samples you sent me in your last report on Myrkr."

"Vornskrs and ysalamiri," Fett confirmed. "You want them for your experiments."

Thrawn nodded in confirmation. "Despite Lord Vader's personal beliefs which couch it in religion, the phenomenon known as the Force must be explained biologically and scientifically. From what little information I have been able to collect on the fauna of Myrkr, these ysalamiri appear to have some sort of effect on the Force, pushing it away from themselves somehow. Their natural predators, vornskrs, in turn appear to use the Force to track their prey."

"So you want to use these creatures against Jedi?" Fett said. "Use the vornskrs to track them and the ysalamiri to cut them off from the Force?"

Thrawn gave an approving nod. "Exactly. Although Lord Vader and his Sith Order appear to have entirely eradicated the Jedi Order aside from Luke Skywalker and the traitor Mara Jade, there is still the possibility that weapons against Force-users may still someday be needed. I believe in preparing for every possible contingency."

"Like if Vader someday decides you've outlived your usefulness?" Fett said darkly.

"I am more concerned about his apprentice Darth Nova, but yes, the possibility has occurred to me," Thrawn admitted.

"I've never gone in for all that superstition," Fett said by way of agreement. "Personally, I think the galaxy would be better off without the lot of them; history is just one long power struggle between the Sith and the Jedi, and everyone else keeps getting caught in the crossfire."

"You are not alone in that assessment, Hunter Fett," said Thrawn. "But that is a discussion for another time. You have your assignment."

Fett nodded and turned to go, leaving Thrawn behind with his art.

* * *

Several days later, Boba Fett stood working in the cargo bay of _Slave I_, which was parked in a clearing deep in the jungles of Myrkr. After a few days of study and experimentation, Fett had worked out a way to safely transport the small, reptilian ysalamiri, and so had a number of specimens on nutrient frames in several of his prisoner cages. Getting the vornskrs onboard, however, would prove somewhat more difficult.

That was where his 'partner' for this operation came in.

Thrawn had assigned Malysa Kolos to assist Fett on the mission. She was clearly not happy about it, but since Thrawn apparently had something on her -and so did Boba Fett, for that matter- she had no choice but to obey. Lord Vader's trusted aide was an ambitious young Sith, and had gotten herself into a bit of trouble about a year ago. In return for not revealing that she had once attempted to kill Vader's apprentice, both Fett and Thrawn frequently made demands of the young woman, forcing her to carry out clandestine missions in their respective interests.

"Are you _sure_ this is the only way to do this?" the young Kuati woman demanded, standing just outside the cage in which Fett was working, her arms crossed and an irate expression on her face.

"It's the fastest and easiest," Fett replied, giving her a cold look through his visor as he finished hooking up the last nutrient frame. "It's in both our interests to get this job done quick, so stop complaining and get ready."

Kolos gave him a venomous glare as she pulled off her black outer robe, then bunched it into a ball and hurled it up into the open cockpit hatch. "Easy for _you,_ maybe," she snapped, adjusting her black and dark gray tunic and trousers before stretching her leg muscles. "_I'm_ the one that has to run around in the jungle and get chased by a pack of vicious predators."

"Force-users attract their attention," Fett reminded her. "They'll find you quick, so once they start chasing you, run as fast as you can back to the ship, and I'll stun them."

"I know the plan," Malysa said irritably. She tapped the lightsaber at her side. "I will defend myself if they get too close, though," she warned.

"Just make sure at least three or four live ones make it here," Fett said, pointing to the exit hatch with one gauntleted hand. "Now move."

Kolos glared at him one last time, muttering an uncomplimentary word in her native language before she left the ship, jogging off into the jungle.

Boba Fett set to work on his traps, ignoring the insult. Despite her attitude, both of them knew very well who would be the victor in a fight. Kolos' posturing merely served to soothe her Sith ego against the humiliation of being forced to serve another.

Fett allowed himself a scoff as he set up one of his portable blaster turrets in a key location outside. The only difference between Sith and Jedi he could see was that at least the Jedi didn't constantly fight amongst themselves in a never-ending struggle for dominance. The galaxy was little different with the Sith in charge in place of the Jedi; at least Vader was blunt enough to simply do things instead of consulting the largely useless Senate, but corruption still reigned at all levels.

Those were just the facts of life in a hard galaxy; Fett saw little point in trying to change things the way the Rebels did. Instead, he simply did what was necessary to secure his own future.

* * *

Malysa Kolos slowly made her way through the oppressively dark Myrkr jungle, her every sense and perception on high alert.

_Be cautious,_ the voice of her Jedi teacher whispered warningly within her mind. _This place is hostile to our kind. In the days of the Old Republic, the Jedi wisely avoided this planet as much as we could._

_I can see why,_ Malysa replied. _The Force feels very strange here. It's hard to get a sense of anything._

She walked on in silence for several more minutes, until again the voice of her Jedi teacher entered her thoughts. _Up ahead,_ 'said' Master Qui-Gon. _Three men. They know you're here._

_Smugglers, probably,_ Malysa replied. _Only criminals come to this place by choice, I would assume._

"Hands up!" a gruff, threatening voice suddenly said four meters ahead of her and to the left.

Malysa calmly raised her hands, watching as the man who had spoken and two others emerged from the foliage and moved toward her, blasters in their hands.

One of the men, a tall, well-dressed human male with dark hair and a trim beard, seemed to Malysa to be the leader. He eyed her thoughtfully, his sharp-witted mind moving behind his penetrating blue eyes.

"Now here's a curiosity, boys," the man said to the others. "What's a lone Sith Knight doing in a place like this without an entire division for backup?" The leader holstered his blaster and crossed his arms over his chest, continuing to gaze at her. "I know you're not here looking for us, otherwise we'd have picked up the aforementioned Imperial division. That makes you either one, a spy checking us out before the rest of your Imp colleagues arrive, or two, an idiot who doesn't know how dangerous this planet is for your kind." He grinned. "I'm leaning toward 'idiot', myself."

"I'm not here for you," Malysa said. "But my disappearance _will_ be noted. If you let me go, I'll forget I ran into you. My backup doesn't need to know anything about it."

The leader laughed sardonically. "Young lady, I didn't get to where I am by believing _anything_ a Sith says to me. The only thing that keeps me from having Chin here shoot you right now is curiosity as to what you're really doing on Myrkr."

"I'm here investigating some of the local fauna," Malysa said. She raised an eyebrow. "Look, I'm not here to hurt you. Can I put my hands down now?"

"Get her lightsaber," the leader said to the one he had identified as Chin, a large human male with dark hair arranged in a Froffli-style haircut.

Chin moved forward and grabbed Malysa's lightsaber off her belt, then stepped back and handed it to his boss, who turned it over in his hands, looking at it briefly before looking back up at Malysa.

"All right, you can put down your hands," he said amiably. He gestured at the forest around them with Malysa's lightsaber. "The lovely creatures in these trees will keep you from trying any of your little mind tricks, so as long as you don't make any sudden moves, you'll be fine." The leader crossed his arms again. "Now talk, Sith."

"Like I said, I'm here to investigate a few of the local animals," said Malysa, dropping her arms to her sides. "My master is interested in their effect on the Force. I'm here to take a few specimens, and then I'll be on my way."

"And which master would that be, Knight Kolos," the leader said, surprising her. "Darth Vader or Grand Admiral Thrawn?" He smirked. "Yes, I know who you are. You're part of the _Executor_'s crew, and a personal aide to Lord Vader besides. I even know you're from Kuat and that you used to be a Jedi until Vader captured you at Tatooine. More recently, you managed to get yourself into a bit of trouble with Boba Fett, and you've been doing odd jobs and feeding him information on the side for around six months now."

"How could you possibly know all that?" Malysa said, astonished.

The dark-haired man merely smiled enigmatically. "I'm extremely well-connected," he said. "I have to be, in my chosen career." He gestured with his other hand, and his men lowered their weapons. "I believe you, Knight Kolos," he said. "Now that you've explained why you were sneaking around out here and triggered my perimeter sensors, it falls to me to decide what to do with you."

"Like I said," Malysa cautioned, "if you let me go, no one has to know you're here. But I'm not alone here, and it will be noticed if I don't report back within the hour."

"Well, you're not here with stormtroopers, otherwise there'd be a few with you," the smuggler chieftain observed. "That means your backup is either another Sith or a special forces squad."

"Or Boba Fett," Malysa retorted, enjoying the surprised looks on all three men's faces. "It's his mission, actually; I was assigned to help him." She cocked a challenging eyebrow. "Now, do you really think killing me is worth him coming after you?"

"Now why does Vader have Boba Fett out here chasing vornskrs?" the leader said to himself. "He doesn't even know we're here, does he?"

Malysa knew he did, but decided this could work to her advantage. "And he doesn't have to," she encouraged. "But when he finds out, he's probably going to come after you." She shrugged. "If I were you, I'd think about moving your base before Vader and Thrawn decide to drop a garrison here to follow up on Fett's investigation. The Grand Admiral's up to something with your little friends in the trees here, and I wouldn't want to be in his way when he comes here for more."

"She's right, Boss," said the other man. "If Thrawn wants them little lizards for something, this whole planet's gonna be crawlin' with Imps 'fore the month is out." He glanced over at the leader. "It ain't safe here no more."

The leader nodded. "Well, even if it _was_ offered just to save your own skin, that's some valuable information, Miss Kolos." He tossed Malysa her lightsaber, which she caught with both hands. "Fair's fair," he went on. "You're free to go, on the condition that you don't tell your armored friend back there you ran into us." He narrowed his eyes in warning. "We've got turbolaser installations on the ground and several heavily armed ships," he said. "It'd be wise to keep this little meeting a secret until you're off-planet."

"Thank you," said Malysa, as she clipped her lightsaber back onto her belt. "By the way, if you're looking for a new place to hide, I suggest looking up Lando Calrissian. Mention my name; he'll hook you up with someplace good."

The leader frowned. "Now how does a Sith like you know Calrissian? Are you implying you're secretly an Alliance sympathizer?"

Now it was Malysa's turn for an enigmatic grin. "You know I used to be a Jedi," she said. "The Rebellion needs all the help it can get."

"This is a big risk you're taking, young lady," said the smuggler chief. "How do you know I won't turn around and sell you out to the Empire?"

"Because someone doesn't get a reputation like yours by stabbing people in the back, Mr. Karrde," Malysa said with another grin. "If there's such a thing as an honorable criminal, it's you."

Talon Karrde laughed, showing no surprise that she knew who he was. "I suppose that's as fitting a description as any," he agreed amusedly. "Tell you what, Kolos," he said, looking over at her. "If you ever get tired of being a double agent, there could be a place for you in my organization."

"I'll think about it," Malysa said with a smile. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go help a bounty hunter catch some vornskrs."

"Happy hunting," Karrde said with an answering smile. He and his men turned and vanished into the jungle.

_Good work,_ Master Qui-Gon 'said' within her mind once they had left. _Perhaps the Force guided you here for a reason._

_Perhaps,_ Malysa agreed.

* * *

Boba Fett raised his blaster rifle when his ship's perimeter sensors beeped, drawing his attention to the motion tracker in the upper corner of his HUD. Six organics, moving toward him rapidly.

As he had suspected, the lead blip on his motion trackers turned out to be Malysa Kolos, who came running out of the jungle with her red lightsaber blazing, looking over her shoulder at the pursuing canines that nipped at her heels.

Fett fired at the lead vornskr, enveloping the sleek predator with concentric waves of stun beams. With a whimper, it slumped to the ground, rolling over with its momentum until it came to a twitching stop next to _Slave I_'s hull.

The blaster turrets Fett had set up automatically targeted the rest of the pack, and after a brief storm of blue light, the other predators lay unconscious on the jungle floor.

Breathing heavily, Kolos approached, switching off her lightsaber as she neared Fett's location. He noticed several large gashes in her tunic, but only one, a comparatively small tear on her shoulder, showed signs of a wound beneath it.

"Those things are vicious," she said, reaching up to wipe away the sweat on her forehead. "Almost got me a couple times."

"Help me get them into the cages," Fett said by way of reply.

Kolos let out an annoyed sigh. "You're welcome," she said irritably.

Fett simply returned her gaze without emotion. "Move."

* * *

When they rendezvoused with the _Executor_, Boba Fett left the unloading of the specimens to Kolos and the Imperial cargo crew. He headed up to Thrawn's command room, where the Grand Admiral waited, examining a piece of art in his collection, an abstract sculpture this time.

"I see your mission was a success," Thrawn said as Fett entered the command room. "Payment has been transferred to your account."

Even as the alien commander spoke, Fett's helmet computer confirmed his statement, alerting him to a deposit in his holding account.

"I think Kolos was up to something while we were there," Fett said. "She hardly complained at me at all during the entire trip back."

Thrawn smiled slightly, looking at Fett over the top of the sculpture. "Young Kolos is indeed 'up to something', as you put it," he said. "Leave her to me. For now, I have another task for you."

"I'm listening," said Fett.

"Against my advice, the Emperor is taking the flagship, alone, to the Naboo system, where he intends to remain for at least several days on some errand he will not describe even to me." Thrawn moved around the sculpture to stand a few paces away from Fett. "I will compensate you for your time if you remain in the vicinity of that system while we are there so I can use your vessel as a relay to the rest of the fleet, should the Rebels take advantage of the tactical opportunity this provides them."

"All right," said Fett. "But I'm a busy man; my time isn't cheap."

"Of course not," Thrawn replied. "But I wish to make the precaution anyway. Lord Vader was most specific in his instructions, but regardless, I cannot leave this vessel open to attack."

Fett shrugged. "It's your money. I'll head straight there from here."

"Thank you, Hunter Fett," said Thrawn. He turned back to the sculpture, and Fett took this as his cue to leave.

On his way back down to the hangar, Boba Fett mulled over what Thrawn had told him, combining this with what he already knew. Several of his informants had warned Fett that something big was about to go down in the Imperial command; Fett took this to mean one of the Grand Admirals or one of the other higher-ups was plotting a coup attempt.

Vader's bizarre move of sequestering himself at Naboo opened the door for an attack; that much was definitely true. Fett ordinarily didn't take pointless watch-guard missions, but this was shaping up to be anything but pointless. Either the Rebels or whoever was organizing the Imperial coup would be fools not to take advantage.

And Boba Fett would be right in the middle of the action, ready to reap the rewards.

* * *

-/\-

* * *

Author's Note: I know, I said I'd be launching this collection months ago, but I've mostly been focusing on one of my other fics in an effort to finish it so I can devote more attention to '_OMS: The New Jedi Order_', which I will be launching soon. I know better than to try and write _two_ large, plot-heavy stories at the same time; both tend to suffer a little when I do that, so I try to avoid it whenever possible. But rest assured, I'm only about ten or twelve chapters from the end of that other story, so I'll be getting back to work on this AU very soon.

I have plans for two more Boba Fett oneshots for this collection, further telling the story of what he was up to during _'Part III'_, as well as a few ideas set during the twenty years between _'Part III' _and '_The New Jedi Order_'.

As I mentioned in my note at the end of '_Part III_', this collection is open to submissions. While I will be writing a number of stories myself, if you would like to write a short story set in this AU, please let me know, and I'll be happy to discuss ideas with you. To keep things organized, all stories will be posted here, by me, but you will of course get full credit. I'll be acting as the editor, correcting spelling and grammar, and making sure everything stays consistent, but other than that, you're free to write about anything you like. After these first three stories, I'll be posting a summary of the state of affairs in the galaxy following the Treaty of Alderaan, as well as some short outlines I've come up with for this collection, if you need ideas to get you started.

Finally, since it's early enough in the story that I can easily make changes, I have a contest for you: Ben Skywalker will be a character in '_The New Jedi Order_', but due to the changes in this AU, he'll be closer to Jacen and Jaina's age. I'm considering giving Luke and Mara one or two more children, so if you have suggestions for names, either include them in your review of this chapter or send them to me in a PM. I'll take the suggestions I like best and put them in a poll in my profile, where you can vote on them for a month or two while I'm finishing up my other story. I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Until next time, thank you for reading!


	2. Strange Ways

**Strange Ways**

As the Imperial flagship _Executor_ orbited high above the planet Naboo, Malysa Kolos sat in one of the chairs in her quarters, meditating. Her eyes closed, she turned her focus away from the world outside and concentrated instead on her connection to the Force.

As she often did while meditating, Malysa communed with her Jedi teacher, Master Qui-Gon Jinn. He was not here with her, physically, as he had been killed in combat with a Sith Lord more than thirty years ago. But, in his studies of the Living Force, Master Qui-Gon had discovered the secret to immortality; he had left the physical world behind, and now existed as a being of pure energy, completely one with the Force.

In their years of exile on Tatooine and Dagobah, respectively, Qui-Gon had taught his former student Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Jedi Grand Master Yoda this secret, even as he now taught it to her. Occasionally, Obi-Wan would join them, when he wasn't watching over Luke Skywalker and his sister Leia.

_Master Yoda has passed into the Force_, Master Qui-Gon's voice 'said' within her mind.

Malysa concentrated more fully on her teacher's presence, mentally shifting into an imagined featureless white expanse where they could speak 'face-to-face', as they often did while she meditated.

In the imagined expanse, Malysa wore plain robes in off-white and brown, instead of the dark Sith clothing she had been forced to wear for years. Master Qui-Gon appeared as he had in life, a tall man with long graying brown hair and a full beard, dressed in tan and dark brown robes.

"Luke Skywalker and his fellow students are awaiting their friend's arrival," said Qui-Gon as the illusionary white expanse settled into focus. "Their training is now complete, and so Master Yoda has allowed himself to pass on."

The diminutive Jedi Master himself appeared next to them, looking up at them both with calm, wise eyes within a wizened green face. His long ears twitched as he silently regarded Malysa for a moment.

"A long way have you come," he said. "Controlled your fear, you have. The Dark Side, you have rejected. Soon will the time come when you no longer need to hide your true self."

"Lord Vader -Anakin- is troubled," said Malysa, using the name Qui-Gon preferred for the Emperor, despite all the man had done. Qui-Gon insisted that Anakin still lived within Vader, a spark of light within the cloud of darkness.

"Sensed it, I have," agreed Yoda, nodding slightly. "Strongly does his conflict resonate through the Force."

"The Force stirs around Naboo," Qui-Gon said thoughtfully, folding his arms over his chest. "Something of great importance is about to happen here."

"It may have something to do with Padmé," Obi-Wan Kenobi's voice said a moment before he appeared on Qui-Gon's other side, completing the circle formed by the four of them. The Jedi Master appeared with folded arms in similar posture to his teacher, one hand stroking the lower edge of his silvery beard. "Anakin's thoughts have dwelled on her more than usual of late."

"He still has not accepted her death," Yoda said, a slight tinge of annoyance in his voice. "Still does he think that save her, he can. Long has he studied the ways of the Sith, always seeking to learn of what Palpatine told him of Plagueis."

"Do you think he could have finally learned how to bring her back?" Obi-Wan said, looking concernedly over at the other two Jedi Masters.

"Or convinced himself he can," Yoda said darkly. "Unstable, he still is."

"Anakin is not insane," Qui-Gon said calmly. "But regardless of what he hopes to accomplish at Naboo, or even if he can, the currents of the Force are still stirring about him. I suspect the fulfillment of the prophecy is near."

"How can he bring the Force into balance now?" Malysa said incredulously. "He's been trying to walk the line between Light and Dark since his fall, but he's fallen so far into the Dark Side in the last few years that I don't think he could ever bring _himself_ back into balance, much less the Force."

"Very soon, Anakin will have to make a choice," Qui-Gon said, meeting her gaze. "As it always has, everything depends on him. We can only hope that Luke will be able to persuade him to make the right decision."

"Aid young Skywalker, you must," Yoda said, looking up at Malysa. "When he arrives, close to him you must stay."

* * *

Several days later, Master Yoda's words echoed in Malysa's mind as she stood at Lord Vader's side in a conference room in the Royal Palace on Naboo, watching the comm screen as Darth Nova finally revealed the true extent of his treachery.

"_The time has come, Lord Vader,_" Nova said triumphantly, "_for the Apprentice to overthrow the Master, as it has always been with the true Sith. If you surrender yourself to me, I will spare your crew, your children, and the people of this insignificant little world. If you refuse, I will ignite this system's sun into supernova and destroy you all."_

Through the Force, Malysa sensed Vader's rage flare up at his former student's words, accompanied by calculation as the Sith Master quickly formulated a new plan.

"Are you too much of a weakling to face me yourself?" Vader challenged, glaring up at the screen. "Are you so assured of your own inferiority that you must come here with overwhelming force?" Vader sneered. "For all your posturing, I can tell you are still afraid of me!"

"_I do not fear you!_" Nova shouted, leaning closer. "_I merely assure my own victory, as a true Sith would!_"

"If you were a true Sith," Vader said derisively, "you would face me in single combat to prove which of us is worthy of the mantle of Sith Master, instead of launching this cowardly ambush."

Malysa and the others gathered around the conference table waited for a tense moment, seeing how Nova would respond to Vader's taunt. Luke Skywalker seemed particularly concerned, his eyes locked on his father instead of the screen.

"_Very well, old man!_" Nova snarled. "_I will descend to the surface and eradicate you myself!"_

"No," Vader replied. "Not here. I will not risk this world against your treachery."

"_Where, then? Aboard your ship?"_

"We will go to the world of Korriban," said Vader. "And there we will settle your challenge in the way of the ancient Sith Lords."

Nova grinned savagely. "_So be it!_" He raised a hand to point at Vader. "_I will have my personal ship accompany your shuttle there, to ensure that you do not flee._"

Vader said nothing in reply, but terminated the connection by forcibly overloading the transmitter with the Force. A number of stormtroopers and Alliance soldiers scrambled back away from the screen as it shot sparks in all directions. When Vader turned away from the pyrotechnic display, Malysa saw that his natural eye was now entirely yellow, rimmed with red.

"Ready my shuttle!" Vader barked at another of his aides, who immediately rushed off to obey.

"I'm going with you," said Luke, moving towards his father.

Mara Jade stepped up next to him. "And if he's going, so am I." Her tone left no room for argument.

In that instant, Malysa knew what she had to do. "I will stand with you, as well, Lord Vader," she said. She glanced over at Luke for just a moment, sending a sense of reassurance through the Force; she was going along more to fight at _his_ side than his father's. Luke nodded slightly in understanding.

"This will be a battle between Nova and myself," Vader warned. "Any outside interference is forbidden."

Mara snorted derisively. "He showed up here with fifty ships, planning to kill you from orbit," she said. "Do you really think Nova isn't going to bring a few friends of his own?"

One of the stormtroopers approached and saluted. "I also request to join your honor guard, Lord Vader," the man said, his voice filtered and rendered flat by his helmet.

Vader peered curiously at the man. "What is your designation, trooper?"

"TK-421, sir," the stormtrooper replied.

"Very well," the Sith Master replied.

Vader glanced at Leia, but did not ask if she wanted to go along as well. Leia looked back at him, and stirred as if she was about to say something, but Vader spoke first. "Stay here and keep your mother safe," he said. "Please," he added as a reluctant afterthought.

Leia nodded silently in reply.

"I will leave immediately," Vader stated with finality, turning to head down to the hangar level. Malysa saw him pause to glance once at Padmé, but he said nothing further before leaving the room.

She hurried after him, knowing the choice Qui-Gon had mentioned was very close now.

* * *

High above the battle raging around Naboo, Boba Fett watched the Super Star Destroyer _Executor _methodically rip to shreds dozens of warships that had fought alongside her in innumerable campaigns since the completion of her construction.

From the cockpit of his starship, the _Slave I_, Fett considered the improbable scene with dark amusement. Through the actions of Vader's Sith Apprentice and Director Isard, Thrawn had been forced to ally himself and the men under his command with beings he had been pursuing and destroying for years, his enemies till today.

The personal ship of the Emperor himself now fought alongside the fleet of the Rebel Alliance. Boba Fett had seen a vast number of very odd things over the course of his career, but this was rapidly climbing the list of most interesting occurrences to which he had borne witness.

Finally, after a particularly vicious fusillade from _Executor_, Isard's nearly crippled command ship _Lusankya _began to withdraw, followed by what was left of her fleet. The battle was not over, Fett knew; Isard's Interdictor ships were still in formation around the system, keeping anyone from entering or leaving. Fett suspected the Director was merely retreating to lick her wounds and call for reinforcements.

Fett noted that _Executor_ did not pursue, and that the Alliance ships that were chasing off the Imperials reluctantly returned to the main fleet after a few moments. No doubt Thrawn had ordered this.

As he had expected, Fett's comm beeped; _Executor_ was initiating a transmission. Already suspecting what Thrawn was going to ask him to do, Fett sent his starship on a high course out of the system, angling his trajectory to escape the Interdictors' interference field as quickly as possible.

"Fett here," he said, answering Thrawn's call.

The Grand Admiral appeared in holographic miniature above Fett's console. "_The time has come, Hunter Fett,_" Thrawn said, looking at him gravely. "_I require your assistance._"

"You want me to contact the loyalist elements of the Imperial fleet," Fett confirmed. "One of your battle groups is only a few hours away."

"_You are to send the coded transmission I am beaming to your vessel to the specified coordinates,_" Thrawn went on quickly, as if he hadn't heard Fett. "_Once it is sent, proceed with all haste to the planet Korriban in the Horuset system. Lord Vader may have need of your assistance. I am prepared to offer up to one hundred thousand for your services here._"

"I want the money in advance," said Fett. "In case things don't go well for you when Isard comes back."

Thrawn frowned minutely, but nodded sharply. "_Use the code I am sending now,_" he said, the slightest tinge of impatience in his voice. "_You will have your credits by the time you arrive at Korriban._"

Fett allowed himself a slight smirk beneath his helmet. "I'm on my way."

* * *

On Korriban, the hours of fighting passed in a blur for Malysa. Even the brief respite attained when Lord Vader trapped Darth Nova in one of the tombs seemed to pass much too quickly, and she was thrust back into the heat of battle once again.

Even though Nova had brought only thirty Sith, they fought as fiercely as three times that number. The Royal Guards and the stormtroopers held their own against the dark warriors, but still Malysa spent the majority of her time defending their position. The Force moved oddly around the Emperor's soldiers, the stormtroopers especially; Malysa felt a strong compulsion to protect them, one trooper in particular, though she had not yet had time to ponder on why.

Malysa noticed when the fierce Dathomiran Tamith Kai commandeered the Emperor's shuttle, but was busy with one of her own opponents to do anything about it.

Mara Jade, however, was able to quickly finish off the Sith warrior she had been fighting and sprint for the edge of the cliff. Just as she leaped, the Force surged in alarm, and Malysa turned for an instant to see the shuttle suddenly pull up, out of range of Mara's jump.

Malysa quickly shoved her opponent back a few steps with the Force, then extended her will and pulled Mara back over the ground as she fell. In retaliation, Tamith Kai fired a few shots at her, and Malysa dove behind a pair of fallen stone pillars for cover, wincing as stone chips exploded around her, a few of them cutting into her back and legs.

The next few moments seemed to both pass in a blur and unfold across an eternity; Tamith Kai forced Lord Vader and Luke Skywalker away from Darth Nova with a burst of laser fire, and the traitorous Apprentice took advantage of the opportunity to leap from foot-hold to foot-hold up the side of the canyon to one of the immense ancient statues above the Sith tombs.

Vader and Luke frantically chased after him, working as quickly as they could to dispatch the four Sith that leaped in their way, but they were not fast enough.

Malysa could feel the star at the center of the system roiling as Nova wrenched at it with his will, forcing it into supernova. By the time Luke and Vader finished their opponents, it was too late; the star was irreparably damaged, and nothing could stop its violent death now.

Even as Malysa began to despair, watching Nova leap up onto the ramp of the hovering shuttle, Mara Jade snapped commandingly for the Royal Guardsman nearby to throw her his sniper rifle.

In one smooth motion, she caught the rifle, snapped it up, and fired.

The bolt soared into the air, and even as Nova posed mockingly on the ramp, laughing triumphantly, Mara's shot slammed into his heart, and he fell, dead, from the ramp.

The shuttle pulled back and raced up into the sky, stranding them there. Malysa jogged over to where Luke and the others stood, her thoughts racing in an attempt to think of something, _anything_ they could do to escape from the certain death of this planet and everything else in the system.

"He's sent the sun into supernova!" Vader called to the rest of the group as he approached.

"Can we stop it?" Luke asked desperately.

Vader shook his head grimly. "No."

"What can we-" Malysa started to say, but a sudden lance of fire speared through her chest from behind, and her words ended in a startled, pained scream.

Incredulously, she looked down to see a shaft of ruby light somehow extending straight through her chest. Her heartbeat seemed to thunder in her ears, drowning out all other sound, and the world began to spin around her.

Malysa fell to the ground, and the impact shook her to her core. Distantly, she heard raised voices and the muffled roaring of blaster fire, but all she saw were the dry red clouds of Korriban, locked in perpetual twilight above the blood-stained ground of the Valley of the Dark Lords.

A great white cloud swarmed around her, just out of the edge of her perception, and she felt a sense of lifting free, of leaving herself behind.

Faces appeared above her; Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade, Lord Vader, the helmets of Royal Guards and stormtroopers, and, strangely enough, above the stained, battered white chest-plate of a stormtrooper, Malysa thought she saw her brother's face.

"Malysa!" he said desperately. "Hang on, Malysa. Hang on!"

"Tyraj?" she said in surprise. It really _was_ him. What was he doing here?

"I'm here!" Tyraj said, his dark eyes frantic. "Just hang on, Lysa, I'm here."

Again the world around her dimmed and faded, and Malysa felt herself rising again.

* * *

When Malysa gained awareness of herself again, she was back in the featureless white expanse through which she communed with the ascended Jedi Masters. She saw the three of them standing before her, somehow both more insubstantial and more solid than she had ever seen them before.

"You have been an excellent student," said Master Qui-Gon, smiling a bit sadly beneath his beard, "and you have learned well all that I could teach you. But now is not the time for you to join us in the netherworld of the Force."

"What do you mean?" Malysa asked.

"Even now, Anakin is working to bring you back," said Master Kenobi.

"Succeeded, you have," Master Yoda said. "along with young Skywalker, in helping Anakin to see the way back to the right path."

"It will not be today," said Qui-Gon, "but due to the events of this day, Anakin can now see the way back to the Light. It is still his choice whether to follow that path, but you and Luke have shown him the way, and that is enough."

"Much there still is for you to do," Yoda said. "Help young Skywalker you must, to pass on the ways of the Jedi."

"In the days to come," said Obi-Wan, his eyes filled with a faint sadness and regret, "take care not to repeat our mistakes. Adapt your teachings to the needs of your students; do not try to force them to become something they are not."

"I will, Master," Malysa promised.

"You must go back now," Qui-Gon said. "May the Force be with you."

Around Malysa, the expanse and the three Jedi Masters slowly faded away…

* * *

With a gasp of indrawn breath, Malysa sat up, feeling life swiftly returning to her body. Around her, she saw the others and the cold, austere main hold of Boba Fett's _Slave I_. From the low, powerful rumble almost out of hearing range, Malysa knew they were in hyperspace, on their way away from the ruins of Korriban.

Next to her, her brother let out a joyous, relieved laugh as he pulled her into a tight embrace. Malysa returned it, glad to be back among her friends, and now, her family.

Tyraj rose to thank Luke and Mara, then Lord Vader. Malysa smiled at him as he turned back to her, and he returned the grin.

"Can we talk?" she asked Tyraj as he approached.

He nodded, then glanced over his white-armored shoulder at the others. Mara caught his glance and gestured to Luke, and the two of them moved off to give them some privacy. Lord Vader withdrew to another compartment, still deep in his own conflicted thoughts, and the troopers busied themselves with treating their wounds and cleaning their weapons.

As they sat down on a bench bolted to the wall in the far corner of the main hold, Malysa looked at her brother. She hadn't seen him in person in more than ten years, ever since her first Jedi Master had come to Kuat in the guise of a university recruiter to take her away for training.

"When were you assigned to the _Executor_?" Malysa asked, giving voice to the question foremost in her mind. "I knew you had joined the army from Father and Mother's messages, but I didn't know we were serving on the same ship."

Tyraj sighed, looking away for a long moment. Finally, he met her gaze again, his dark eyes apologetic. "I've been stationed on the _Executor_ for more than four years," he said, surprising her. "I was transferred into the 501st a few weeks before the capture of Organa's vessel over Tatooine."

"You mean we've been on the same ship this entire time, and you never said anything to me?" Malysa said incredulously. "Tyraj, what…?"

"I was there when you were captured," Tyraj said quickly, clearly pained by the admission but forcing himself to go on anyway. "I was with Lord Vader when you fought him."

Malysa had to grip the cold metal bench to keep herself from shouting. "That was _you_?" she hissed through clenched teeth. Malysa had to look away, unable to articulate what she was feeling through the shock. "You _shot_ me!" she exclaimed, one hand unconsciously rising to reach over her shoulder to the old wound. "I still have the scar."

To her surprise, one corner of Tyraj's mouth quirked in a slight wry smile. He reached up to tap his own shoulder, at the place where his chest-plate met the pauldron over his right arm. "So do I," he said with the barest trace of amusement. "You deflected my first shot back at me."

Malysa could only laugh at the sheer, absurd improbability of the situation. After a moment, Tyraj joined in, and this only made Malysa laugh harder. Soon, the two of them were practically doubled over with laughter.

"That's not funny at all!" Malysa managed to gasp out between laughs.

"No, it isn't!" Tyraj agreed, his face reddening from his own amusement, and they both collapsed into another fit of laughter, leaning against one another for support.

When they finally managed to regain control of themselves, Malysa leaned back against the bare metal bulkhead behind her, one hand idly plucking at the fabric of her dark trousers as she wound down.

"So what happened?" she asked as the amusement faded. "Why did you serve on the same ship with me for four years and not say anything?"

Tyraj sighed deeply. "I wasn't sure what to say," he admitted. "At first, when I realized it was you that I'd fought with Lord Vader, I didn't know what to think. I thought you were on Coruscant, attending the Imperial University, but when I found out you were really a Jedi, I…" He looked up at her. "I… questioned… your loyalty, your motives for being there on Lord Vader's vessel, your reasons for joining the Sith."

Malysa sighed, herself. "There's no point in denying it, I suppose," she said. "I never really joined the Sith; I've always thought of myself as a Jedi, this entire time. I've been… I've been secretly working for the Rebellion since I was captured, sending them information."

Tyraj met her eyes, his gaze neither hurt nor judgmental, but simply accepting. "I know," he said simply.

"You know?" Malysa said, surprised. "How?"

"Grand Admiral Thrawn told me shortly before we went to the treaty conference," Tyraj replied. "He said that he'd recently learned what you were doing, but since we were about to negotiate a cease-fire with the Rebellion, it didn't really matter. He ordered me to keep an eye on you anyway, to make sure the Rebels weren't planning to use you to assassinate Lord Vader or help them take him prisoner."

Malysa let out a light snort of amusement. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised Thrawn figured it out. I have to admit I expected him to catch me eventually. I guess I should be surprised I lasted this long."

They both fell silent for a moment. Malysa looked down at her hands, thinking.

"I'm… sorry," Tyraj said finally, breaking the silence.

Malysa looked up at him. "You should be," she said quietly. "Even with all that was going on, I would have still told you, if things were reversed."

"I know," Tyraj said, glancing down at his own hands, resting on his armored knees. He sighed, then looked up at her. "But, we're together now, and that is what's important." He offered a small smile. "I think we could both use a little family right now."

"Definitely," Malysa agreed. She looked around at the scarred metal walls of Fett's vessel, as if looking beyond them to the galaxy as a whole. "What do you think is going to happen now?"

"War," Tyraj said bluntly, and Malysa could hear an almost bone-weary tiredness in his voice. Her brother had already seen enough war and death to last a lifetime, but still, he would do his duty. He would fight and die for his Emperor against any foe.

"With who?" Malysa asked, wondering if her brother knew as much about the threats facing the Empire as she did; Lord Vader had shared some terrifying truths with her over the years about his true reasons for funneling so much money into the Imperial military.

"The mutineers, to start," Tyraj replied. "Though Darth Nova is dead, Isard and Pestage still need to be dealt with. Lord Vader will likely dissolve the Senate when he re-takes Coruscant, and put the military in direct control until the galaxy is stabilized again." He let out a soft, ironic chuckle. "Oddly enough, the Rebels will probably be fighting alongside the loyalists now; Lord Vader pledged to give them territory before the civil war started, and the only way they are going to get it is if he wins."

"Isard is dead," Boba Fett's voice announced, and Malysa glanced up to see the armored bounty hunter at the foot of the ladder leading up to the cockpit, looking over at the two of them. "I just received a message from Grand Admiral Thrawn," Fett elaborated. "Baron Fel arrived with the _Eclipse_, and turned the battle in Thrawn's favor. The mutineers surrendered after Solo took out Isard's command ship."

"Desperate times…" Malysa said, mostly to herself.

Lord Vader had told her about the _Eclipse_ project shortly after Mara Jade's defection to the Rebellion; the immense superlaser-equipped battleship and its sisters still under construction were intended for the fight against the Far Outsiders. As with his ability to ignite supernovas with the Force, Vader had chosen not to use the superweapon or any of the others under development against the Rebellion; he did not trust the various admirals and moffs in command of the main part of his military not to misuse them.

Instead, all superweapons were strictly under the control of the highly classified Vanguard Fleet, officers of which were some of the few in the Empire besides Vader's inner circle that knew the full extent of the Far Outsider threat.

Malysa felt the subtle shift and rumble of _Slave I_'s engines as the bounty hunter's vessel finished its course change and re-entered hyperspace. Ordinarily, most pilots preferred to do such things themselves, but Malysa knew Boba Fett's vessel was so automated and tied into the computer systems in his armor that it was practically an extension of the hunter's body; he could operate almost any system on his vessel by remote.

"I filled Thrawn in on what happened at Korriban," Fett went on. "When we arrive at Naboo, he wants the two of you to report to his command room right away. It has something to do with that missing Kuati noble I found a few months ago."

Tyraj looked at Malysa curiously. "What noble?"

As _Slave I_ continued on towards Naboo, Malysa explained the situation to her brother as best she could; she had no doubt Thrawn knew much, much more about the situation than he had told her so far, and would be better able to explain himself.

* * *

When they finally set down in _Executor_'s cavernous hangar bay, Malysa and her brother stopped briefly to greet Han Solo, who was repairing his battered freighter nearby, then headed off to the medical bay. Thrawn had sent them a message as they were docking that Lord Vader wanted to speak with him first, so he had told Malysa to get checked out and make sure she was still fit for duty.

After a brief examination by the ship's chief doctor, who pronounced Malysa mostly recovered, -he was dubious at being told the completely-healed wound was less than a day old, but knew better than to ask questions- Malysa and Tyraj headed up to the Grand Admiral's command room.

When they arrived, they found the walls adorned with holographic replicas of famous paintings from their homeworld of Kuat, along with a number of sculptures arranged around the room in front of the chair and desk at the back. Also there were Boba Fett and the young noble Kateel of Kuhlvult, who wore a gray coverall from the ship's stores.

Kateel stood looking at a painting that, according to Thrawn, hung in her family's main estate back on Kuat; Kateel herself did not remember it because of the crude memory wipe performed during her kidnapping, but now, Malysa thought she saw a hint of recognition in the young woman's eyes.

Thrawn himself stood near the back of the dimly lit command room, visible only due to his spotless white uniform and his subtly glowing red eyes.

"Excellent," the alien Grand Admiral said as they entered. "You are all here."

His hands clasped behind his back, Thrawn slowly walked out from behind his desk, looking over at the others, specifically Malysa. "I will begin with congratulations, young Kolos," he said. A slight smile quirked one corner of his mouth. "I recently discovered the full extent of your activities, but the fact that you managed to hide them from both Lord Vader and myself for so long is impressive. It is for this reason that I ask for your assistance."

"Ask?" Malysa said in surprise before she caught herself. She quickly clamped down on the rest of the retort.

"It is in your best interest to cooperate," Thrawn said mildly, "but I cannot force you to carry out this mission, as I will shortly be departing the Empire along with Lord Vader."

"Sir?" Tyraj said in confusion, his helmet rendering his voice flat.

"Lord Vader intends to leave the Empire," Thrawn explained. "He will be giving command of the loyalist forces to Baron Fel, while he and I go to the Unknown Regions to take command of Vanguard Fleet. The war with the Far Outsiders has escalated to the point where it demands our attention over the situation in the Empire." He glanced at a sculpture as he passed it, then returned his gaze to Malysa's brother. "Due to the circumstances of this mission, I am releasing you from your service to the 501st, trooper. Once it is complete, you may join Baron Fel's forces, or you may become a private citizen."

"Yes, sir," said Tyraj. Malysa could sense his emotions twisting in conflict within him; the news had hit him hard.

"The four of you will be going to Kuat," Thrawn went on, passing his gaze over the others. "The situation there requires attention, though due to circumstances I cannot attend to it personally as I had planned." He paused for a moment, and exchanged a brief glance with Kateel before continuing. "Kuat Drive Yards is one of the most important shipbuilding facilities in the Empire. The head of the corporation and the planet's leading noble house, Kuat of Kuat, has always been more than fair in his rates and commands impressive efficiency from his operations. However, other elements in the Kuati ruling houses are less… practical in their ambitions, and there is a plot to assassinate Kuat of Kuat and wrest control of the company away from his house."

"And you want us to stop it," said Fett.

Thrawn nodded once. "Precisely. Baron Fel will need KDY on his side if he is to triumph in this new civil war. Isard's mutineers have already seized control of Fondor; they cannot be allowed a second facility."

"You think Isard was behind the plot?" Fett asked.

"It is possible, but unlikely," Thrawn replied. "The ruling houses are perfectly capable of coming up with such a scheme on their own."

Malysa nodded in silent agreement, a slight wry smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"Which of you is my client for this?" Fett asked, gesturing between Thrawn and Kateel with one armored hand.

"I am," Kateel replied. "As the Grand Admiral has explained to me during my recovery, it is essential that KDY remain under the control of Kuat of Kuat and those… understanding of the problems facing the Empire in the future. I suspect elements of my house are involved in the plot, which is probably why I was," she made a face, "disposed of. You'll be helping me get control of House Kuhlvult, as well."

Fett nodded once in silent acceptance.

"Lord Vader intends to depart before the end of the day," Thrawn said, going back to his desk. "I will transmit the relevant files to your ships."

Malysa took the cue to leave and departed the command room, accompanied by her brother and Kateel. In the hall outside, Fett paused for a moment to speak with her.

"I'm going to go over the files and start planning this tonight," he said. "We'll rendezvous in the Royal Palace hangar at 0700 tomorrow morning."

Malysa headed off to her quarters to pack what few possessions she had, not sorry at all to be finally leaving the Emperor's ship behind. Her brother felt differently, she sensed, but there would be plenty of time to talk about that on the trip to Kuat.

Knowing the full extent of the threat facing the galaxy, Malysa was willing to perform this one last mission for the Empire, but she was glad to finally be free.

* * *

-/\-

* * *

Author's Note: Most of the scenes from Malysa's perspective were actually supposed to be in _'Part III_' itself, but I found they didn't quite flow right with the rest of the chapters, and also took too much of the focus away from the main characters. In particular, the discussion scene with the three Jedi Masters and the later conversation between Malysa and Tyraj got put in and taken back out two or three times during the early drafts before I finally decided to cut them. After letting them sit for a few months, I'm glad I was finally able to rework them into this story and make them part of 'canon' for my AU.

Next up, '_You Can't Go Home Again_': Malysa and Tyraj Kolos return to Kuat along with Boba Fett and Kateel of Kuhlvult to investigate the plot to take over Kuat Drive Yards.

That's the last of the stories that take place during the events of _'Part III_'; next, I plan to include a few stories that set the stage for '_The New Jedi Order'_, most of which will be open for submission. I'll be including my short outlines for a few of the ideas I've had in a future posting. Lastly, I've decided Luke and Mara's second child will be a daughter; I've got a name in mind already, but I'm still open to suggestions. Till next time, thanks for reading!


End file.
